Improvement in locks



. 2 sneeuw-sheen 1. W. H. BRAMBLE'.

Lock. No. 211,374. Patented Jan. 14,1879.

N. FETES. PHWLIYMUGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D. CV

W. H. BRAMBLB Look.

No. 211,374. Patented Jan. 14, 1879.

Fiyi zspeets-she't 2.

WILLIAM'H. BnAIvII-ILE, or Driel-Irun, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 211,374, date'd January14, 1879 application filed March 28, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. BRAMBLE,

of Decatur, in the county of Macon andmState of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Locks; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification. 4 These improvements are susceptible of eX- tensivevariation in modication, and are therefore usefulunder variouscircumstances, whether in connection with door and draw locks orpadlocks; and while I have herein shown and specifically describedbuttwo modes of applying my improvements, it is believed to be sufficientto convey an approximate idea to persons skilled in lock-making of theextensive application to which they may be proiitably applied.

Broadly stated, the principal feature of my invention consists in a lockcontaining an organization of tumblers with a sliding` bar in such amanner that the partial introduction of its proper key will so adjustthe several tumblers as to permit said sliding bar to be movedlongitudinally by a further longitudinal movement of the key withoutfurther moving the tumblers. This sliding bar is usually relied upon asa means by which a separate true-bolt is actuated or released, as thecase may be but iu many cases it can itself be made to operate as abolt.

The keys for these locks, being relied upon for adjusting tho tumblersbya longitudinal movement, and then further relied upon for moving thesliding bar through an additional similar Inovement, involve a novelpeculiarity in construction, which consists in providing extendedtumbler-seats, which not only adjust the tumblers with reference totheir proper notches or gatings in the sliding bar, but also permit thekey to advance while maintaining the tumblers at their properadjustment.

Another important feature of my invention consists, broadly, in thecombination, with a keylock provided with a sliding bar controlled bytumblers, and which is moved longitudinallybythe end-thrust. of its keyafter adjustment of its tumblers, of a 'separate organization of boltingmechanism, embodying a true-bolt which is under the unlocking control ofthe sliding bar.

The key in my lock has no retractilc power over the sliding bar, andtherefore a springspindle or its equivalent is employed` in connectionwith the bolting mechanism, which not only moves the sliding barbackward, but which in its forward movement, due to the endthrust of thekey, either trips the true-bolt and allows a spring to retract or unlockit, or, as with a latch-bolt, the spindle positively retracts it. Whenthe sliding bar is in itself relied upon as a bolt, it is provided witha spring,

4which returns it to its normal position on the withdrawal of the key.

My invention consists in certain other minor features, hereinafter fullyset forth and speci- I fied. l t To `Inore particularly describe myinvention,

I will refer to the accompanying two sheets of drawings, in which-Figure l, Sheet l, is a sectional View of a lock embodying the severalfeatures of my invention. Fig. 2, Sheet 1, represents the boltingmechanism with the side plate of its casing removed. Fig. 3, Sheet 1,represents, in perspective, the interior of the key-lock with itssliding bar detached therefrom. Figs. 4

-and 5, Sheet 2, represent, in front view and in section, as applied toa door, a lock provided with a knob for throwing the bolt into a lockedposition.

Similar letters of reference in the several iigures indicate the sameparts.

In. the drawings, A, Fig. 1, represents, in section, a door, to thefront or outer side of which is applied Van .escutcheon, B, carrying anordinary handle and the key-lock (l, which is mortised into the door.This key-lock is of peculiar construction, being composed of a metalblock, I), slotted to receive a series of sliding tumblers arrangedparallel to each other, and containing a key-chamber, e, at `rightangles to the tumblers. This block is also chambered to receive thesliding bar c at one side of the key-chamber. This slidingbar isprovided at its inner end with ahead, as at c, which closes the key wayor chamber c at its inner end.

Each tumbler is normally held in place by a spring, f, and the whole areprotected by av side plate.

The key H is provided with tumbler-seats g, which are so located withreference to the rear or opposite edge of the key that the severaltumblers will be so adjusted that they will be disengaged from or movedout of the notches or gatin gs in the sliding bar 5 and said seats arelongitudinally extended, as shown, so that after the key has so adjustedthe tumblers it may be then longitudinally advanced, with its inner endabutting against the head c of the sliding bar, and thereby impart tosaid bar a corresponding movement.

The broadly novel feature in this key-lock consists in this or anequivalent construction, by which, when the key II is insertedpartially, it will properly adj ust all the tumblers, and then, whenfully inserted, it will push the sliding` bar in the same directionwithout disturbin g the adjusted tumblers.

rIhe sliding` bar may itself be arranged to operate as a bolt, butinmost cases Iprefer to use it as a medium -by which a separate bolt maybe eithermoved or released from its locked position.

I will now describe one practical method of so applying it to a separatebolt that when said bolt has been thrown forward by hand by means of aknob or lever, it will be held in its locked condition until the slidingbar has been thrust inward by its key, whereupon the bolt will bereleased an d thrown backward by a spring.

I denotes a rim-lock, secured to the inner side of a door, which isprovided with a pivoted latch-bolt, J, controlled7 in the usual manner,by the thumb-lever N.

Within the case is a sliding bolt, K, provided with a retractile spring,m, which maintains the bolt within the case. Guides L on the case occupylongitudinal slots in the bolt.

rIhe bolt K is placed within the control of the thumb-lever N by meansof a pivoted dog or lever, o, the lower end of which has a bearingagainst a shoulder, h, on the bolt.

The lever o, at its upper end, is located beneath the thumb-lever, sothat when the outer end of the thumb-lever is elevated or the inner endthereof depressed the dog will be'vibrated on its pivot, and therebymade to force the bolt K outward against the force of its spring untilthe spring spindle-catch R engages with recesses or shoulders t on thebolt, after which the thumb-lever has no control over said bolt unt-ilreleased from the catch R.

The outer end of the spindle-catch R is provided with a knob orequivalent device. Its inner end extends through the case, occupies arecess, S, in the door, and is provided with a spiral spring, u. Itsinner end is also placed in line with the end of the sliding bar c ofthe key-lock, and in such relation therewith that when the bolt islocked and the sliding bar is thrust inward by its key the catch will bemoved longitudinally by the bar, and so release the bolt that its springmay draw it into the case. f

In order that the coincident ends of the sliding bar c and springspindle-catch R may be accurately adjusted and arranged for doors ofdifferent thicknesses, the spindle is provided' with a screw-tip, T,which permits of the practical extension ofthe spindle, and this featureconstitutes one portion of my invention.

With this construction, it will be seen that the latch may be usedwithout locking the door; also that the door can be locked from theinside by depressing the inner end of the thumb-lever N, and unlocked bypulling outward the spring-catch It; also that the door may be lockedfrom the outside by elevating the outer end of the thumb-lever N, andunlocked by the key which moves the sliding bar and spring-catch, so asto release the bolt. This peculiar combination of the spring-bolt withthumb-lever or knob and the springcatch constitutes another portion ofmy invention.

In Figs. et and 5 knobs are employed instead of the thumb-lever of alatch. A hub, V, on the knob-spindle is provided with a toe, W, whichengages with the bolt at a recess, X, provided therein, so that wheneither of the knobs is turned the bolt will be thrown for@ ward, andsecured in that position by the spring-catch It, as before described,until said catch is either tripped by the sliding bar and key from theoutside, or by pulling it inward from the inside, of the door. Vith thisconstruction the catch It is preferably arranged so that when it ispulled from the inside it may be also slightly turned, andtherebyretained out of catching relation with the bolt.

It is obvious that the sliding bar, with slight adaptation, may bearranged to lock an ordinary straight bolt, avlatch-faced bolt whichrecedes upon closing the door, or a latchinglever which vibrates to andfrom a notched keeper, and that suchboltin g mechanism may be embodiedin the same casingwith the sliding bar, or in a separate case, aspreferred. These improvements are also especially applicable to padlocksof the self-lockin g variety.

' Having thus describedmyinvention, I claim as new- 1. The combination,with tumblers arranged transversely of the keyway and a movable bar, ofa key which adjusts the tumblers when partially inserted into the lock,and moves the bar without moving the tumblers when fully entered,substantially as described.

` 2. A key provided with longitudinally-extended tumbler-seats arrangedon its lateral edges, substantially as described, whereby afi ter theadjustment of the tumblers the key may be moved freely inward andmaintain the tumblers of a lock at adjusted positions, as set forth.

3. The combination of thefollowingelements, to wit: tumblers which movetransversely to the keyway, a bar which, when liberate d from thetumblers, can slide longitudinally in the keyway independently of thetumblers, and bolting mechanism embodying a bolt which is under theunlocking control of the sliding bar when the latter is moved by thekey, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the sliding bar end its tnmblers With aspring-bolt and spring spindle or catch which is longitudinallyextensible, substantially as described, whereby the coincident ends ofthe. sliding bar and spring-spindle may be adjusted with relationl toeach other, as set forth.

5. The combination, with the sliding bar and its tumblers, of thespring-catch, the spring bolt, and a. lever er knob for projecting thebolt, substantially as described.

WILLIAM H. BRAMBLE.

Witnesses:

J Ams L. PEAKE, S. J. PEAKE.

